1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a golf club, and, more particularly, to a golf club head and hosel construction enabling angular relations of the golf club head to ground plane to be adjusted to individual player requirements.
2. Description of Related Art
Golf clubs in their major aspects include a head portion with face specially adapted for striking the game ball and an elongated shaft which terminates at the upper end in a gripping portion. The head portion extends away from the shaft at an angle primarily determined by the length of the shaft, the height and other physical characteristics of the individual player. For example, a relatively short player will typically have a greater angle between the shaft and a vertical line through the head portion in that the individual tends to swing the club in a flatter or more horizontal plane or closer to the ground plane as opposed to, say, a very tall individual. The construction by the manufacturer of an individual club to a given angular relationship or lie of the head portion is merely selected as an average or statistical value and, therefore, will be more appropriate for some than others. It has been found, however, that it may be desirable to individually change the "lie" angle of the club head in order to more precisely accommodate specific physical characteristics of the individual who is going to use the club and in that way produce optimal ability to consistently and accurately strike a ball.
In the past, an individual buying clubs has been faced with standard amounts of variation in lie angle in a purchased set of clubs and after choosing the size that felt best would then frequently have a local professional or other golf club repairer bend the hosel a certain amount to obtain a precise customized lie angle for the club. Extensive testing has shown that having the lower face of the club at a proper angle with respect to the club shaft for the individual using the club is critical to being able to strike a ball more consistently and accurately. With an improper angle of club head to shaft, the individual will strike the ball either to the right or to the left of the desired target direction whereas proper lie will produce an accurate and lengthy shot.
In addition to club head lie, the slope of the striking face measured in a forward backward direction along the line of movement of the ball (i.e., open and closed) is also important to obtain proper ball striking and maximizing the distance obtainable by use of the particular club and moving the ball in the desired direction.. Although this angle of the striking face for the golf club head is set by the manufacturer at a predetermined angle, it has been found that an individual player will, by the manner in which the club is swung, inadvertently either increase or decrease the actual contact angle from what could be expected from, say, an expert swing. Accordingly, any given player may find it desirable to increase or decrease the face angle of one or more golf clubs in the golf set to fine tune the clubs to the player's individual swing. Although the above indicated lie and face adjustments of clubs can apply to either the so-called "woods" or "irons", the invention as described herein will be presented in connection with a wood club and, more particularly, to a so-called metal wood club.